Prejudice or Racism? Understanding the Difference

 

When Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was in 5th grade, his teacher told him that black people had no history, nor heroes, nor any achievements. That moment stayed with him his entire life and is perhaps why he dedicated his life to researching and collecting literature, art, and artifacts related to Africans and the African diaspora.

"Cancel culture" is a term thrown about a lot lately. Although it mainly refers to ostracism on social media or other social circles, cancel culture actually goes back hundreds of years and has existed since the birth of the United States. Traditionally, the history and stories of people of color have been left out of history textbooks and lesson plans. 

This doesn't just affect the perspectives of whites toward people of color, but also how marginalized groups - specifically children - feel about themselves. Studies by researchers at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill have shown that "Latino adolescents in the U.S. who maintain ties to their culture of origin are more likely to develop healthy behaviors than their peers who do not. Latino adolescents with strong awareness of their family’s culture reported higher self esteem, fewer social problems and less hopelessness, aggression, and substance abuse." 

This is certainly true for children of any race or culture. 

American author Ray Bradbury once said, "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." 

And one way to stop people from reading about different cultures is by not publishing books about them or limiting access to them. (In today's society, it's also about not sharing stories online.)

What's the difference between prejudice and racism?

What is the end result of erasing or omitting information about a race or culture? Prejudice and racism. But what's the difference between the two?

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of prejudice is "a feeling of unfair dislike directed against an individual or a group because of some characteristic (as race or religion)"

Racism, on the other hand, is defined as "prejudice PLUS power." It's the actual ACT of marginalizing or oppressing people based on prejudice. And most social justice organizations attribute racism to one group of people who control social norms and policy.

Diversity in Children's Books: Huyck, David and Sarah Park Dahlen. (2019 June 19)

3 Ways to fight prejudice and racism at home

Schomburg once said, "Pride of race is the antidote to racism." 

What do you think that means? Why did he say that? Well, we only give antidotes to victims. And if you've been the victim of racism, which leaves you feeling poisoned and "less than" - you need a treatment or antidote to help you recover. Pride of race (or culture) - as I mentioned above - helps to rebuild your self-confidence and your pride in who you are and where you came from.

So it's up to parents and educators to put a stop to the nonsense. There are many actions we can take. In fact, I wrote about 15 ways to raise non-racist children back in 2016. But today, I've chosen three immediate ways to do so at home with children...

First, we need to actively seek out those books, videos, websites, lesson plans, and more that share the stories of ALL people, but especially people of color and marginalized groups. Then we need to teach them to our children. While it is important for our kids to read about Latinos in history, it's also important for them to read about Blacks, Asians, and Indigenous people. They should learn about the contributions of Jews, Muslims, and others.

As homeschoolers, we are in an excellent situation because we are not bound by the rules or limitations of a school district or curriculum. World Cultures or Ethnic Studies or Heritage Studies are subjects that we can easily add to our curricula.

Second, we need to purchase, promote, and otherwise support the publishers and companies that are publishing these stories. Most books, for example, about the Latino experience are published by small independent publishers or small imprints. We need these companies to stay open, grow, and invest in the history and stories of people of color. 

And third, we need to encourage our children to write their stories and the stories of their families. According to an inventory made two years ago by the Cooperative Children's Book Center, only 5% of the children's books published each year are by or about Latinos (see image above). That needs to change. So let's get our kids writing. And inspire them by writing down your family's history yourself!

A More Complete History: Hispanic Activists

Traditional history programs have long omitted or downplayed the critical role that Hispanics have played in U.S. history. But many of these activists have advocated and created sweeping social change or contributed to the restitution of societal wrongs through their actions.

That is why I'm so pleased to share with you a grant project that I've finally completed and published on Teachers Pay Teachers.

A More Complete History - Unit 1: Hispanic Activists is a comprehensive Teach for Justice unit that focuses on five important (and often forgotten) historical figures of the 1900s. Designed for high school students, this 150 page unit is comprised of lesson plans for both in-person and virtual learning. It uses articles and mini-documentaries as secondary sources. And it includes: 

• challenging pre-reading questions,
• literal comprehension questions,
• higher-level questions,
• social-emotional connections, 
• essay questions, 
• project based learning options, 
• vocabulary worksheets,
• and research & present topics. 

Answer keys and options for worksheets and summative assessments that allow for differentiated learning are also included.

The five figures covered in this unit are:

• Jovita Idár
• Sylvia Mendez
• Ralph Lazo
• Willie Velásquez
• and Helen Rodríguez Trías

These are in-depth lessons to challenge students and highlight figures who have fought for equality in the press, education, politics, health, and society. They fought not just for their own families, but for Hispanics as a whole and other marginalized groups.

These lesson plans are only available in English as they are centered around English secondary sources.

If you'd like to see a sample, Lesson 4: Willie Velásquez is available free for download.

If you use these lesson in your home or school classroom, please let me know. I welcome feedback. And if you send me a few photographs, I'll send you a special gift. 

This project was made possible by the Teachers Pay Teachers' Teach for Justice Grant Program. I'm so thankful to have been selected to participate.

Enjoy!

How I Talk to My Teen about What is Happening in our Country

Last night, around midnight, I found my eldest teen sitting on the back steps of our house crying. When I opened the door and asked what was happening, she said, "I hate this country." She bawled in my arms and showed me all the outraged social media posts she had seen about what was happening and the innocent lives that were being tortured or lost. She was overwhelmed by the horror.

At first, I hugged her and told her, "It's okay." I was on automatic pilot trying to soothe her. She immediately said, "No! It's NOT okay!" And she was right.

I can't tell you how hard I prayed to have the right words for her.

So I told her, "You're right. It's not okay. And I'm really glad that you can see that."

We went on to talk about how our country was terribly broken right now. That it has been for a long time but that things have gotten worse in recent years. And people are angry and tired of being ignored.

People should be outraged. They should be livid that there is so much injustice, racism, and just plain evil in this world... and especially outraged that it is still happening in our country.

We talked about how looting is wrong, but their protests, anger, and emotions were totally justified.

We talked about George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. We talked about school shootings. We talked about children being separated from their parents and kept in cages or deported back to countries where they have no parents or families.

I talked about how all of this racism and hate wasn't new, but that it is now becoming visible to everyone and cannot be ignored.

I told her how proud I was of her for being upset and angry and just knowing how wrong it is to treat people so horribly. We talked about how God is not a respecter of persons and that we are ALL EQUAL in his sight. I told her how we are all the same no matter what we look like on the outside. And we are all precious and valuable.

My daughter kept whispering that it should be instinct not to kill a person. That pretty much broke my heart.

I talked about how no baby is born racist. That it is a learned characteristic. Learned from examples. And it comes from a lack of education and a lack of exposure to people of all different walks of life.

I told her that her generation actually gave me a lot of hope. Because young people today are finding their voices and they aren't afraid to use them. People like Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, Greta Thunberg, Mala Yousafzai, Autumn Peltier, and so many others.

I think that just talking about it was very therapeutic for her. She calmed down and was able to control her tears. Knowing that her feelings were justified and that she wasn't alone in feeling them was really important to her. So was letting her know that I was proud of her outrage and her ability to see the absolute wrongness of the whole situation.

These difficult issues are just exacerbated by the pandemic. Which makes our journey as individuals, as families, as communities, and as a nation that much more difficult.

Don't be afraid to talk to your children. This is the perfect time to talk about the beliefs you hold to be good and true and right. Encourage your children to be brave in the face of adversity. To realize that they can be hurt for speaking the truth. But that ultimately staying true to ourselves and beliefs is worth it. And speaking up for those who are wronged, hurt, or worse is important otherwise we are guilty of the sin, too.

Silence is acceptance.

Silence is approval.

We are better than that.